This one is confusing.

Pretty simple answer to that question lol.

Well, no. The answer is anything but simple.

For one, do humour me playing lawyer for a moment. Let's take your answer:

Men are going to have an advantage in literally anything that requires physical capabilities.

Please define, with no error, the following terms:

  • Men
  • Advantage
  • Physical capabilities

Okay look, you don't have to answer the first one. It doesn't have an answer. (If you think it's as simple as "penis" or "chromosomes", go read up on sex determination systems.)

Advantage can actually be defined, let's for the sake of this comment say: Having greater physical capabilities than the other player(s).

As for physical capabilities, pick any measurable trait. Muscle mass, skeletal makeup, whatever you wish.

Now then, if letting men compete with women is unfair because the men, in general, have more muscle.

Then why is letting low-muscle men compete with high-muscle men any fairer?

If it's "well the gap between them is smaller", then one more question:

Why not set a gap, and let trans athletes participate if they are within said gap? Why must there be a gender-based split if the matter that makes this "unfair" are measurable physical capabilities?

If we solve the problem of letting kids play against older kids fairly through divisions, why not abolish gender split sports entirely, and use a similar division system.


Look. I'll drop the pretence.

The "trans people in sports" debate isn't about actual fairness. Sports are pretty much inherently unfair, especially the physical kind. You either were born with the right genetics, or you're not gonna be at the olympics no matter how hard you train.

What this debate is "about" is people insisting that "Trans women are still men". And that they still should be treated as men.

If we take two "skeleton-and-muscle-and-whathaveyou"-identical women. One trans, one cis. Why would the former not be allowed to participate whilst the latter would be?

(And no, that example isn't contrived. Female athletes with extremely masculine physique do exist. And short of a few other athletes playing the "everyone better than me is a cheater" game, nobody bitching about trans athletes in women's sports seems to care about them.)

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